Eat Well. Live Well. Be Well.

Tips On Being Your Best Self

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”Aristotle

When people talk about peak performance, most automatically think they’re referring to sports or athletics. But what if it was their LIFE they were talking about?

Performing at your best can be a mix of working hard and then recovering, similar to what athletes do when they train and then cool down. Five main areas to focus on would be sleep, eating, hydration, activation prior to exercise, and strength.

While these areas may be geared more towards a pro athlete, you’ll see how they can pretty useful in your own personal life.

Sleep Is Important

Experts recommend that most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep a night. To help that along, make sure you have a good sleeping environment – cool, dark and quiet. If quiet is a challenge, try some white noise devices. Establishing a bedtime routine is helpful, too, especially one that eliminates electronics before bed.

It’s recommended that you get 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. If you need a little help, consider dietary supplements to help fill the gaps.

Young African American woman drinking water.

Drink Your Water

Every cell of your body is affected when you don’t get enough water. Even your bones are made with water. How much you should drink each day depends on your body size, your physical activity, and even the climate in which you live.

The average person should drink between 72 and 96 ounces of water each day to replace fluids lost through daily activities. If you have an 8-ounce glass, that’s between 9 and 12 glasses each day.

Warm Up Your Muscles

Activation is the technical term for warming up your muscles. Doing some small exercises with the muscles you’re about to really work on tells your brain to get those muscles ready, or activate them so they can perform at their best when the real challenge comes.

Strength Training

Strength training isn’t just for bodybuilders or pro athletes. Benefits include helping reduce body fat, burning calories more efficiently and preventing the loss of lean muscle that happens as you age.

It can also help develop strong bones, manage your weight, improve your balance and sharpen your thinking and learning skills.

Extra Tip: Regular Exercise

We should try to get 20-30 minutes of movement 3-4 a week – even if it’s just walking.